Nerelyn Lava Soreta, 50, turned herself in to detectives Monday afternoon and was charged with simple battery of the infirm.

A sheriff's office press release said deputies watched a video allegedly showing Soreta “pushing the child’s face with her hand and striking her several times on the leg.”

EBRSO spokeswoman Casey Hicks said a school aide took the video with a cell phone.

Soreta, a full-time teacher, has been placed on administrative leave until the school district completes an internal investigation, East Baton Rouge Parish School System Superintendent Bernard Taylor Jr. said.

The 9-year-old student uses a wheelchair and is non-communicative, Taylor said.

"It is not behavior that is condoned, not behavior that is supported and not behavior that is tolerated," he said.

Deputies also interviewed a witness to the incident, the release says.

Taylor said the incident occurred in a class exclusively for students with more severe disabilities.

"Needles to say it was quite disturbing to receive this type of information," Taylor said.

When the district completes its investigation, Taylor said, administrators will take the appropriate action regarding Soreta.